Can



H.SEBELL CAN Filed April 27 3 R \\\\\\V m N, n 4 mm me Z 5 5 W m 7 H 8\ M H w Patented Dec. 22, 1953 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE CAN Harry Sebell, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Reynolds Metals Company, Richmond, Va., a corporation of Delaware 1 Claim.

This invention relates to cans and especially to so-called paint cans which are commonly used for packaging ready-mixed paint.

The paint cans now in common use are made with a closure-receiving collar within the can body at its upper end, which collar is seamed to the top edge of the can body with a lock seam, and is provided with an opening that is closed by a closure or cover element of the friction plug type. To open a can of this type it is necessary to pry the friction plug type cover off from the collar.

One object of my present invention is to provide a novel closure for the collar in a can of the above type, which closure includes a closure member of soft material, preferably soft metal such as aluminum, which can be easily cut by a knife-like implement for the purpose of opening the can.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel closure which includes a brush-wiping ring within the opening of the collar and on which a person may wipe his brush after dipping is into the paint in the can.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure which presents a drain opening immediately outside of the wiping ring, through which opening surplus paint forced from the brush during the wiping operation may drain back into the can.

In the drawings, wherein I have illustrated a selected embodiment of my invention,

Fig. l is a vertical, fragmentary, sectional view showing the upper end of a can embodying one form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the soft metal closure member;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the retaining or clamping ring shown in Fig. 1 by which the soft metal closure member is retained in place;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section through one edge of the can illustrated in Fig. l to better illustrate the construction;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 1, but on a smaller scale, showing a different embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the clamping or sealing ring shown in Fig. 3.

In Fig. l of the drawing, l indicates the can body and 2 is the closure-receiving collar, the peripheral edge of which is seamed to the top edge of the can body by a lock seam 3.

The collar 2 is of the type usually employed in paint cans now in common use and it is deformed to present the annular groove 6, the

inner wall 5 of which defines the closure-receiving opening 6. The upper edge of the annular wall 5 is bent or rolled over to provide the bead l as usual in paint cans.

In accordance with my invention the opening 6 in the collar is closed by a closure element which includes a closure member 8 of thin soft metal, or other appropriate material, which can be easily cut, and which spans the opening 6, the edge of the member 3 underlying the bead l. Said member 8 is formed with a peripheral depending skirt 9 which fits tightly against the wall 5 of the collar 2.

My improved closure also includes a clamping or retaining ring Ill which fits within the skirt 3 and serves to clamp the latter tightly against the wall 5 of the collar.

The clamping ring I0 is made with an outer ring section H which engages the skirt 9 and clamps it against the wall 5, and an inner ring section I2 which is spaced from the outer ring section H, the bottom edges of the inner and outer ring sections l2 and I! being rigidly connected at a plurality of points by bridge portions l3. The space it between the inner and outer ring sections is open at the bottom except at the places where the bridge portions l3 are located. The upper edge of the inner ring section I2 is preferably rolled inwardly to form a bead M.

The can is opened by cutting the member 8 along a line immediately inside of the bead 1, and since said member 8 is made of thin soft metal this cutting operation can be easily performed by any knife-like implement.

If the member 8 is cut entirely around the bead then the central portion thereof may be removed thereby opening the can, and when the can is opened the clamping means it; presents an annular brush-wiping ring situated within the opening 6, said brush-wiping ring being constituted by the beaded upper edge M of the inner ring section !2. The space l5 between the two ring sections it and I2 constitutes a drain opening through which surplus paint that is forced from the brush during the wiping operation may drain back into the can.

in paint cans as now commonly used the brush is wiped against the head 1 of the vertical wall 5 and during this operation the surplus paint is very apt to flow over into the groove :2. With my improvements, however, the surplus paint forced from the brush as it is being wiped on the bead it will flow into the space is and thus drain back into the can.

A closure embodying my invention is prevented from being forced outwardly from the wall 5 by the bead I which overlies the peripheral edge of the closure, and. the clamping ring It is constructed to clamp the skirt 9 against the wall 5 with suflicient force to prevent the closure from being moved inwardly.

The brush-wiping section I2, Id of the ring I serves not only as a means for wiping the brush as above described, but it also serves as a support for the central portion of the closure member 8 when the can is opened by cutting-said closure member immediately inside the bead 7, thereby preventing the cut-out portion of the closure from dropping into the can.

In Figs. and 6 there is shown a different embodiment of the invention in which the clamping and sealing ring is not provided with the brushwiping section as in Figs. 1-4.

In the structure shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the can body I, the collar 2 deformed to present the groove l, the vertical wall 5 and head I, and the closure member 8 having the skirt 9 are the same as in Figs. 1-4.

In this embodiment, however, the clamping and sealing ring I Ia is a single section ring which serves merely to clamp the skirt 9 of the closure 1 can has been filled then the assembled collar,

closure member and sealing ring are placed in position, and the peripheral edge of the collar is 4 sealed to the top edge of the can body by the lock seam 3.

I claim:

A can for a brushable liquid comprising a can body, a closure-receiving collar situated within the top end of the can body, the peripheral edge portion of said collar bein secured to the top edge of the can body with a lock seam, said collar having an annular horizontal portion extending inwardly from the wall of the can body, said horizontal portion merging into the upper edge of the outer wall of an annular depending U-shaped portion of the collar located below said horizon tal portion, the upper edge of said inner wall being rolled inwardly to form an annular bead, a closure member of thin easily cut metal having a depending peripheral skirt section restin against and fitting within said inner vertical wall of the U -shaped portion of the collar, and a clamping member within said skirt having an outer ring section for clamping the skirt to said vertical wall and an inner ring section spaced from outer ring section and defining the dispensing opening of the can, the top edge of said inner ring section constituting a brush-wiping edge, said inner ring section and said outer ring section connected at their lower edges by spaced bridges whereby ex cess paint wiped from the brush may drain back into said can.

HARRY SEBELL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 721,507 Fogg Feb. 24, 1903 1,696,240 Kirsher Dec. 25, 1928 1,883,390 Meier Oct. 18, 1932 2,313,059 Freeman Mar. 9, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 803,118 France June 29, 1936 

